Tuesday, July 28, 2009

One Down

I completed my first ride time this past weekend. Nothing too exciting in ten hours. First we had an 81 y/o woman who had chest pain upon exertion. Though it first came in as a psych call. Hmm. Then we had a man in his late fifties who had just had a seizure. He was postictal when we got there, and relatively combative. The ativan seemed to calm him down a bit, but it didn't kick in until we reached the ED. So, that was my night, along with hours of sitting and waiting. I now know to bring a book next time, though I'm hoping for a few more calls. I'm going back this weekend, so we'll see. I'm looking forward to it.

We are studying geriatrics this week in class. Oh, the things we have to look forward to as we age. Next weekend we are doing extrication, which I am really looking forward to. And tomorrow, kinematics.

What kind of stethoscope do you use? Is there one that you prefer over another?

4 comments:

Jason said...

Elisabeth,

I use a Littmann Classic II SE. When I was a student, I was using a cheap sprague rappaport type which worked okay, but I had one major problem with it...the tubes kept rubbing together (especially if I had to listen to a pt. while the truck was moving). The Littmann only has one tube and has REALLY nice soft eartips. I also find that the Littmann stays on my neck a lot better when I'm not using it.

The first paramedic I ever did a ride-out with swears by his Littmann Lightweight (which is a lot less expensive than my midrange model). He likes it because the diaphragm is a teardrop shape...makes it easier to get under a BP cuff.

Good luck with your studies!

medicblog999 said...

Littmann Classic II SE too. Its a good balance of quality and price.

As for the url. Maybe you should consider starting again whilst the blog is still in its infancy. A good url can be easily searched for and typed in by your readers. Once you start to get a few more posts up, you will bo loath to change it and start over again if you change your mind.

Just a thought.

peedee said...

Your gonna love your job girl! Only about 30% of people can say that. Dont forget to laugh & cry. One is as important as the other for your sanity in this job.
Oh and welcome to the blogosphere!

Elisabeth said...

Thanks for the info! The ones we got with our course have double tubing and quite literally fall apart when you pick them up. So in the meantime I have found a cheap medical prestige one. I will definitely have to look into the Littmann Classic II SE.